St. Clair County Community College is now accepting applications from students who are interested in living in the college’s new residence hall during the 2019-20 academic year.  The college’s housing complex, known as The Dock, officially opened Aug. 3, 2018, in downtown Port Huron, making SC4 the first community college in Southeast Michigan to offer student housing. The residence hall provides fully furnished accommodations for up to 80 students, featuring private bathrooms, high-speed wireless internet, parking, laundry facilities and much more.
“This is a great way for students to have a full college experience while not breaking the bank,” said SC4’s College Housing Manager Nathanial Shrapnell.  In addition to enjoying convenient access to the area’s growing arts, entertainment and dining scene, students who are U.S. residents and live in The Dock pay in-district tuition rates at SC4. During the 2018-19 academic year, students from the local community and around the world chose to live on campus.
“I love living here,” said Caio Rodrigues, an international student from Brazil who explained that SC4’s new student housing was a major factor in his decision to attend the college. “It’s given me the chance to connect with different people, and it’s great being right downtown and just steps away from the movie theater.”  To be eligible to live at The Dock, students must meet ongoing academic and enrollment requirements. Those interested can find detailed information about College Housing and submit an application for the 2019-20 academic year at sc4.edu/housing.

The Blue Water Feed The World Packaging benefiting Kids Coalition Against Hunger has kicked off and the committee has set the date for Saturday, April 27 at Port Huron High School.  This year, the goal is to package 150,000 meals.  Mark your calendar, sign up as a volunteer and consider recruiting your own team of 13.  If you would like to make a financial contribution, the committee needs to raise $42,000 to package the 150,000 meals.   According to John Romine co-coordinator of the event, checks may be made payable to KCAH and mailed to Kids Coalition Against Hunger, P.O. Box 930794, Wixom, Michigan 48393 – with Blue Water 2019 written in the check memo line.  You can also give online at kcah.info, then click “Get Involved” and look for Blue Water 2019.

A local Christian radio station will be moving from its long-time location of Ross Bible Church in Port Huron Township into a vacant storefront in downtown Port Huron.  Station Manager Brian Smith said the move for 90.7 Hope FM and Power 88.3, has been on their minds for some time, and they have found their new home at 908 Military Street.   Last week, General Manager and owner of WGRT, Marty Doorn stopped in at the new location to make a donation in support of the move, and he says “we are honored that Hope FM is moving to downtown Port Huron and we are delighted to help their cause by giving them this gift, and we  encourage others in the community who have not yet made a contribution in this move, to do so as well.”   Smith told WGRT that constructions is moving along.  The workers started a couple of weeks ago, and framing is almost complete.  The trades will be working over the next several weeks with power, HAV, etc. and it is their hope that they will be in the building by the end of summer, early part of the fall.    The new location is between Cedar Hill Graphics and the Exquisite Corpse Coffee House.  Smith says if people would like to make a donation they can do so on their website at http://www.907hopefm.com or  http://www.Power883.com  – just click on the Hope Moves Project link.

St. Clair County Community College’s nursing department and the Michigan Abolitionist Project (MAP) are partnering to present a human trafficking conference this afternoon, Monday, April 8, from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the college’s Fine Arts Theatre.  The conference not only aims to increase awareness and understanding of the global crisis but also will focus on human trafficking from a health care perspective, educating professionals in the field on the assessment and evaluation of potential victims.  The second annual seminar will feature remarks from keynote speaker Danielle Bastien, RN, DNP FNP-BC, an emergency room nurse at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. Bastien recently completed the DNP program at Wayne State University, where her doctoral thesis focused on human trafficking. She developed a policy for Henry Ford Health System which implemented changes to the triage and emergency department process to help better identify patients who are victims of human trafficking.  “We’re so excited to partner with MAP to host this important event at SC4,” said Patti Tibble, director of the college’s nursing program. “Human trafficking is a critically important topic to address as nurses and health care professionals, and we’re glad to help bring training and assessment tools to professionals in our region.”  Interested attendees can learn more and register online through the MAP website. Registration is $20, and the event will issue 2.5 continuing education contact hours for nurses. For more information, email porthuron@map-mi.org or call 810-748-9528.

Residents in and around the city of Port Huron are mourning the loss of one of our great historians, teacher, restaurant owner, and all-around great guy.  Rock Stevens and his wife Gayle brought the Atrium Café to Port Huron, delighting in serving delicious food with a hearty smile.  Stevens unexpectedly passed away this weekend having just posted on his Facebook page Friday morning, with a sunny humorous message and a perfect picture of a plate of food to served at the restaurant.  –  stating “Embrace This Day…May you find the best!”  Port Huron certainly found the “best” in Rock Stevens.  Photo credit: Amanda Catherine Photography.

The Community Capital Club (C3), a fund within the Community Foundation, the Economic Development Alliance of St. Clair County and The Underground Incubator, are pleased to financially support area entrepreneurs with the launch of the new Proving Grounds entrepreneurial fund.  The purpose of the fund according to Dan Casey, Chief Executive Officer of the EDA, is to provide seed capital to start ups after their launch at the early-revenue stage.  “We see a gap in the market that the new fund will fill,” Casey sated.   Currently, EDA manages a pre-seed fund called the Emerge Fund which provides seed capital to help a limited number of businesses get their start.  “The new fund is intended to help start ups after they’ve done the basics, when they are ready to begin selling their product or service,” Casey added Proving Grounds funding will assist pre-seed and early venture startups with “fuel funding” needed to grow their businesses faster.   Applicants must have a valid business plan, an identified target market that has product or service validation (proven market fit) and some form of sales already established.  The fund is perfect for entrepreneurial businesses that offer scalability beyond risk.  One of the goals of the new program is to prepare start ups to pitch to the broader Community Capital Club which is mezzanine-level funding.  “Members of C3 are passionate about business and about their community.  Contributing to the general prosperity of the region by helping worthwhile early stage and growth companies succeed is one of the primary goals of C3,” said Michael Wendling, Chair of the Community Capital Club.  “We’re trying to create a pipeline of companies to diversify and grow the county’s economy,” said Casey.  “Capital is the entrepreneur’s lifeblood, and it’s very difficult to access traditional forms of financing until a company has built a balance sheet.”  Casey noted that the Proving Ground Fund will invest in a limited number of companies based on available funding.  Interested entrepreneurs can contact EDA for more information at (810) 982-9511.

Proving Grounds Fund – How It Works:
            Entrepreneurs fill out a Proving Ground Application Form at at startunderground.com

• If Approved, the start-up will receive $10,000 for 5% equity of your company to the Community Capital Club (C3)
• The company will be enrolled in the Underground’s Virtual Incubator Program
• The Underground will help you set strategy goals and tactics, and establish an advisory board to oversee progress and mentor the entrepreneur
• Awardees must stay accountable by reporting metrics and discussing future plans
• Non-profits are not eligible for the Proving Ground Fund